This direction in going with more wild teas than puerh teas
also signals to me that puerh of this quality and purity has just simply become
too expensive (here and here) and David, with an eye to the future, is looking
to offer an alternative to us mortals who can’t always afford to drink such
things regularly but who are unwilling to give up quality and purity (and their
souls).This is also a likely reason for Essence of Tea also positioning themselves in the liu bao market as well.They also happen to be two markets (wild tea
and liu bao) that have not been an active focus of any western vendor.So this direction to me is very very smart.

Wild teas tend to offer very nice qi experiences and are
usually quite clean and are often easy to drink teas. David is a Qi guy, I am a
Qi guy.So why not give wild teas a
chance?I think if anyone does share
these same values in tea, they are really going to love wild tea- they should
try it.

The dry leaves smell of raisins and fruit.It reminds me of raisin bran cereal.There are some plumb notes in there as well.There is both a freshness and a depth to the
odour.

The first infusion is a very light and refreshing watery
broth of subtle, distant fruit tastes and pure sugary sweetness which slowly
grow on the breath.There is a
suggestion of chicory in the background.The mouthfeel is light and soft and there is a soft opening of the
throat.Its “sweet wild” profile is
immediately obvious by a near complete lack of bitterness here.

The second is more vibrant but still gentle and watery.There is an initial burst of vibrant candy-like
sweetness, almost watermelon, bumble berry tastes.This infusion is of very sweet sugary tastes and
an aftertaste of sweet melon and candy.The breath has a slight turbid dirt rubbery fruit taste that is characteristic
of most wild tea.

The third infusion is more of this very sweet, very clean
almost candy-like sweetness initially.This
infusion the sweetness has a subtle buttery edge.The mouthfeel is more established now and has
a thin but very full coating feeling in the whole mouth.The throat feel is not as expansive but
rather somewhat opening.The breath
holds a barely fruity taste but doesn’t hold it for too long.The qi is very very clean and brings a soft,
crisp clarity.It really makes me feel
good and happy.It’s a cheerful qi!

The fourth develops a more buttery edging to wildflower
sweetness initially which the full mouthfeel holds nicely.The aftertaste is pretty much an extension of
this taste as it develops that characteristic rubbery, turbid taste.

The fifth infusion starts to water down a bit with less
sweetness now as the buttery taste seems to be the dominant one now as it ducks
quietly into the aftertaste. The only
fruit suggestions duck and dodge in the rubbery, turbid wild tea aftertaste.Minutes later I can still feel it try to push
through but only if I pay close attention.

The sixth starts to flatten out harboring that turbid,
rubbery, almost fruity aftertaste in its initial taste and throughout with not
much evolution in the mouth now.The
seventh is much the same.

Five to ten more seconds were added to each additional
steeping after this. The eighth and ninth had a more distinct fruit taste
lingering in the aftertaste as a result. The initial taste has a melon, almost berry
feel to it.Definitely more fruity
tastes have been pushed out with these longer steepings.

Tenth similar to above but now fruity tastes are
waning.There is a monotone taste that
is quite light, fresh, slightly sweet, and yummy.The eleventh steeping these tastes are even
more muted and watery so a few minute long steepings are employed next.

The twelfth once again has pushed out a nice berry, typical
WuLiang terror tasting brew.It finishes
with a rhubarb and berry aftertaste. The thirteenth is steeped even longer but
the tastes have more of a typical turbid, rubbery, wild taste so these leaves
are put into an overnight steeping…

This wild tea is all about its crispness, freshness, purity,
mouthfeel and initial taste.It is the
softest wild tea that I have ever tried and I think it would be a great
introduction to wild teas for those who appreciate the vibrancy of fresh sheng
puerh. It lacks a deep and complex throat feel and long breath feeling for a yesheng.

This wild tea is really not harsh on the body, nor is it
bitter, so, it could really be consumed immediately.Quite naturally, this is the way wild teas
are traditionally consumed by the minorities of Yunnan.It also really does contain the Wuliang taste
profile that is found in Wuliang puerh.Those that enjoy the taste profile of Wuliang and enjoy fresh young raw
puerh will probably also enjoy this as a nice introduction to wild tea.

Any use of tea for medicinal purposes should be done with full consultation with a medical professional. The material on this blog (text and photos) is the intellectual property of the administrator of this blog. If you wish to use any of it, please ask permission. Citations or reference to text from this blog should be done with explicit reference to and/or a link to MattCha's Blog. Peace